


Ready, (Not So) Steady, Go

by fromward (from)



Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-26
Updated: 2010-08-26
Packaged: 2017-10-24 12:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/263317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/from/pseuds/fromward
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Lex showed up for a date without knowing it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ready, (Not So) Steady, Go

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Suzvoy for the beta. Written for schmoop_bingo with the prompt ‘long-lost love’.

Lex gripped his empty coffee cup and watched Clark make his way through the restaurant.

Here was the heart soaring on rusted wings.

With effortless speed, Clark razed the distance between them that was eight years, three months and twelve days but mostly, damningly, silence.

Clark had his hands in his pockets when he got to the table, but they were on the back of the free chair even before any kind of hello, how are you, what a coincidence, Lex. 'Can I get you a refill?'

It was almost like being back at the Talon again, except Clark had better hair and the place better coffee. 'I don't think they do refills here, Clark.'

'I meant another cup,' Clark said. 'On me.'

Lex shook his head. ‘I’m fine. Thank you.’

'Okay. Well, can I sit down?' Clark asked, already halfway in the chair.

Lex leaned as far back as he could, but it was too late.

Clark smelled like the static hum of a hundred computers, with an overlay of what could’ve been film cleaner – but was possibly embalming fluid. It wasn’t like Clark, Lex’s brain said. Somewhere in there, underneath the cheap wrinkle-free costume of a suit, Clark smelled like skin polished wet by the sun, it added. Lex’s jaw clenched.

'Chloe said I'd find you here.'

'Did she?' Chloe Sullivan worked out of Seattle covering regional politics. How she could possibly be tuned into Lex's movements in Gotham was beyond him. Nothing should be beyond him.

'So you kinda didn't tell me that you were never coming back.'

'I don't follow.'

'No kidding,' Clark chuckled, tapping softly on the table. He shifted and watched Lex for a moment. 'You died. Or so everyone thought. And then you were alive, which was great, but you didn't come back to Smallville and I never heard from you again, which was not so great. Lex, if I didn't know how to use the internet, I'd be assuming you've been on like, an eight-year honeymoon.'

'Helen and I didn't really work out, Clark. The honeymoon was actually shorter than the wedding.'

Clark nodded, face scrunched into an origami of I-told-you-so, but all he said was, ‘Yeah. I know, Lex. Internet.’

‘Of course.’

Clark settled back and the head waiter swooped in as if it had all been preordained. Cafe Rouge on Elm, a little after ten on a Thursday evening, Lex Luthor would be finishing his coffee and Clark Kent would be wanting one, and one man alone was destined to get it for him.

Lex snorted, cheeks puffing.

‘What?’ Clark asked, a smile lighting up on his face. ‘What? Come on. Lex, you can’t just do that and not explain yourself.’ This was the Clark Lex remembered, asking questions as if the universe owed him the answers, as if he just had to push himself into a better position and everything would make sense.

‘I was just a kid, Clark. You were too.’ Lex stopped Clark from protesting with a wave of his hand. ‘You were. _We_ were. And we believed shit we wouldn’t even touch with a ten-foot pole right now. The kind of shit that makes people crazy and do stupid things to each other.’

Clark leaned in. ‘To each other or with each other?’

Here was the heart rushing through the clouds, intent on shaking the rainshowers out of them.

‘I don’t know. Both. Neither. Damn it, Clark. _I don’t know._ All I know is that...’

Lex breathed out and started again. ‘It is clear to me now that no matter how old I am, we – which is to say anything remotely involving both you and me – would be crazy. My life would be composed of chaos, mayhem, and an argument with my dad every week,’ he said. ‘I’m trying not to argue with my dad anymore, Clark. He’s dead.’

The weight of Clark’s fingers sank into his, bleeding at last through the shock.

‘Good. I mean, not about your dad. I’m sorry that he’s dead. I mean, you.’ Clark flashed him a smile. ‘You’re good. This is good,’ he said, making room for the waiter to place his coffee down but not for much else. ‘I’m glad you still feel the same about me, Lex.’

‘Clark.’

‘Yeah, I know. There are complications. We’ll get through them. Let me just drink this and then we can go,’ Clark said, adding sugar into his cup. ‘I was thinking a midnight movie, or like, food. Or the two together.’

Lex looked down at their hands. He wondered how long his would stay there. How many seconds, how many minutes, how many cubes of sugar later. He thought about keeping count, but the clock was already running and for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel the need to go back to the start.

Here was the heart beating, easing, talking.

Lex signalled for the bill, and threaded his fingers together with Clark’s.

 

~

  



End file.
